


Live Bait

by Mangoesaregood8



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood, Blood and Injury, Fights, Gen, Mermaids, Octopus, Zine: Eos Compendium (Final Fantasy XV), mermaid au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:15:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25352284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mangoesaregood8/pseuds/Mangoesaregood8
Summary: Ardyn has watched the line who stole his throne continue for millennia, waiting for the right moment to take it all back.  He finds a weak link in the long Lucis dynasty, luring Noctis in to eliminate the Prince once and for all.
Kudos: 8





	Live Bait

**Author's Note:**

> My piece for the Eos Compendium Zine!~

Golden amber eyes stared up from the murky depths. Arydn’s dark tentacles swirled around him as he watched the young prince training with one of his retainers. This time the larger of the retainers, the son of the king’s sworn shield. 

Ardyn sneered as he watched the prince swim through an obstacle course constructed from coral rings and other odds and ends that had drifted down to the ocean floor. That should have been his heir, but long ago his brother ripped the throne away from Ardyn and banished him to the depths. No merfolk lived that far down. It was too dark, and food was scarce. Ardyn knew that all too well.

Noctis was swimming through the obstacle course as quickly as he could, but it wasn’t good enough for the Shield. Ardyn could see their mouths moving, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. What ever it was, Gladio wasn’t happy about it.

Ardyn took careful mental notes as he watched Noctis weave in and out between the rings, noting which sections gave him the most trouble. He could use that later. Then he switched his attention to the larger man. Gladio had a much easier time maneuvering through the course. Then again, he had set it up after all.

Ardyn turned back towards deeper water again, his tentacles propelling him through the water until the prince was no longer in sight. He scowled as a bitter taste filled his mouth. He had tried for years to find a way to lure Noctis away from the Citadel, the castle that should have been Ardyn’s, but all of his ideas were too risky. Noctis was well protected. Regis, the king spared no expense to keep his son safe. Ardyn thought about trying to sneak in himself, but showing his face anywhere near the Citadel meant almost certain death. Well, almost. They could try as hard as they wanted to kill him, but before long Ardyn would be back. His body would recover with time, but the blows still hurt.

Ardyn swam into his cave and sat on a rock he had turned into a bench. He couldn’t hope to reach Noctis, but what about his shield? Noctis was always escorted anytime he left the Citadel by a guard or two, but Gladio was not. Then again, Gladio didn’t need protecting. His massive muscles and sheer speed would make him difficult to catch, but everyone had a weakness. And if Ardyn could find Gladio’s he could use the Shield to ultimately get the prince. Yes, Gladio would make good bait indeed. But how would he get Gladio from the Citadel back to his cave? Ardyn needed time to plan. He couldn’t afford for anything to go wrong. If he messed this up, he wouldn’t get another chance like this in the future.

~~~~~~~~~~

Noctis was being his usual surly, bratty self during their training, whining each time Gladio had him repeat a drill. Gladio couldn’t take it anymore. He huffed and swam away as fast as his fins would take him. He needed some time to clear his head and enough time to calm down so he wouldn’t beat Noctis later. Once the Citadel was out of sight, he turned, following the familiar design in the coral beneath him as he swam to a small cove. He usually came here when he was upset. He had found it by accident one day while hunting and later claimed the spot for himself. He couldn’t find evidence that someone else stayed here at least.

Hundreds of colorful fish lived in this part of the cove. They swam around Gladio as he dove down to the sandy bottom towards a large, flat rock. Patches of seaweed hid the opening of the cave, making it hard to spot unless one was looking for it. Gladio swam inside and laid back on the cavern’s floor with his head in his hands. There was a gap in the rocks above his head just big enough for Gladio to see the fish swimming above. A part of him envied their freedom. They could come and go as they pleased, swim wherever they wanted. Do whatever they wanted. But Gladio didn’t have the same luxury. He had a job to do. It was his birthright and he had to take it seriously. If only Noctis would do the same…

A sudden ripple in the seaweed caught his attention. The fish were swimming in a much more chaotic pattern now. Usually the fish were pretty calm here as they searched for a bite to eat. What could have spooked them so much?

Gladio sat up and poked his head out of the cove. Was there a shark? They didn’t typically get this close to the cove, though he had seen a few patrolling the far edges of the reef, waiting for a fish to stray too far from their school. But that wouldn’t be enough to upset the fish this much.

Gladio used the seaweed as cover as he swam silently around the reef, searching for whatever had caused the fish to get so frenzied. Before long he saw a cloud of red blooming into the water. So it was a shark after all. It was feeding a little too close to the reef for comfort. Gladio was about to turn for home when hints of black in the water caught his eye. Soon the red cloud darkened until it turned black completely. 

“What the...?” Was that ink? It couldn’t be a shark then. But there were no other predators that hung around the reef. Gladio had spent enough time here to know that. He stared intently at the cloud but he couldn’t see any movement. Whatever it was was already gone.

He needed to get back to the Citadel as soon as possible. He didn’t want to be here when that… that thing came back. He turned but immediately swam into a suffocating cloud of black ink. He couldn’t see anything. He tried to get a breath in to call out, but the ink in the water burned his throat. He sank to the ground and his tail hit the sand. He tried to hug the ground to escape the ink, but the cloud was so big that no matter which direction he turned he couldn’t escape. He tried to swim out of the cloud, but something cold and slimy circled around his wrist. No matter how hard he struggled he couldn’t break the grip. Then something restrained his other wrist. He thrashed around, desperate to get away to no avail. Then he felt the same slimy appendage around his waist, then finally his neck. He could do little more than squirm at this point. His strength was leaving him. It didn’t take long before he blacked out completely.

~~~~~~~~~~

Gladio opened his eyes and everything was still dark. But wherever he was now at least he could breathe. At least he was out of the ink cloud. It took a few minutes before his eyes adjusted to the dark. He didn’t recognize any of his surroundings. He tried to get up to explore, but he couldn’t move. He looked down. He was tied up to a stalagmite. 

“What?” Gladio squirmed, trying to break his bonds, but the ropes that tied him down didn’t budge.

“I’d give up if I were you. It’s not going to work,” a voice said from the shadows.

Gladio looked around, but couldn’t see anyone. He could just barely make out the walls of the space he was in. This wasn’t the Citadel. He could see faint light coming into the space from one direction. Was he in a cave? “Who’s there?” He called out into the darkness.

“I’m wounded. You don’t recognize me?”

First the tentacles slithered into view, quickly followed by their owner.

“Ardyn,” Gladio sneered. He and Noctis had run into Ardyn once while out foraging for food. Gladio had gotten a bad feeling about him at the time, and that feeling wasn’t getting any better now. “What the hell are you doing? Let me go!”

“What would be the point in capturing you if I just let you go?” Ardyn chuckled and drifted closer. “Where’s the fun in that?”

“I said let me go,” Gladio said through clenched teeth.

“Oh no. You’re staying with me.”

Gladio glared at the other man. “What the hell do you want me for?”

“It’s simple really. What’s the best way to catch a fish?”

“What?” Gladio frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“No ideas? I thought you would be smarter than that, being one of the prince’s retainers and all.” One of Ardyn’s tentacles twisted towards Gladio and stroked the man’s cheek, leaving a trail of slime in its wake. “If you want to catch a fish, you have to use bait.”

There were very few creatures that targeted mermaids as a meal. But like most fish, even they had creatures they had to look out for. One creature came immediately to mind. One that would attack a mermaid on sight if it was hungry enough. It was rare, but it did happen.

“If you think you’re feeding me to a shark, you’ve got another thing coming. No way I’m letting you turn me into fish food.”

Ardyn shook his head, a mocking smirk plastered to his face. “No, no dear boy. I’m not going after sharks. The prize I seek is much more valuable than that.”

“So what are you going after anyway?”

“You’ll see. And now that I have my bait, all I need to do is set my hook. I shouldn’t be gone too long.”

“Wait a minute!” Gladio struggled against his restraints again. They still didn’t budge. “Untie me right now, or I’ll-”

“I don’t think you’re in any position to be threatening me. Not that I think you’ll be going anywhere anytime soon, but I’ll leave you with a parting gift to make sure you behave while I’m gone.” Ardyn’s tentacle enveloped Gladio, and he released another thick cloud of ink, this one much larger than the one before.

Gladio held his breath for as long as he could, but it wasn’t enough. What little light filtered into the cave dissipated as Gladio lost consciousness once more.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey Specs, what’s for lunch?” Noctis asked as he lounged back in his chair.

“I think you ought to be more concerned with your training rather than your stomach,” Ignis replied, pointedly adjusting his seaglasses.

“Come on… I’ve been training all morning. I can’t train on an empty stomach.”

“From what I saw, you weren’t doing much training at all.” Ignis was in the kitchen, cleaning up the remains from breakfast. “Gladio certainly didn’t think so.”

“He never thinks I’m doing enough. It’s annoying.” Noctis huffed. “Speaking of, where is the big guy anyway?”

“I’m not sure. He left so quickly I didn’t get a chance to ask where he was going. And I haven’t seen him since.”

“Probably went hunting or something.”

“Hey guys.” Prompto rushed into the kitchen. You’re gonna want to see this.”

“What is it?” Noctis asked.

Prompto handed a thick envelope to Noctis. “I found this outside. It’s addressed to you.”

Noctis took the envelope and flipped it over. “It doesn’t say who it’s from. I’ve never seen this seel before either.”

“Could I see it?” Ignis asked.

“Sure.” Noctis handed the envelope over. 

Ignis inspected it for a few minutes before handing it back to Noctis. “I’m afraid I can’t offer much help. I doubt anything will happen if you open it though. Let’s see what’s inside.”

Noctis opened the envelope and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He unfolded it, revealing an elegantly written letter inside.

_ I’ve heard from a close friend of yours that you enjoy fishing. I’ve found a special kind of bait. It’s large, and may be a little rough, but I think that you’ll find it absolutely irresistible. Though you’ll have to come for it soon. If you wait too long it might expire. It might be a little difficult to find, however I’m sure you are smart enough to figure it out on your own. It’s a lot darker where I live than you’re used to. Think of it as a treasure hunt of sorts. The prize being your bait. _

“It’s signed ‘A’ at the bottom. Who is that?” Noctis asked.

“May I?” Ignis held his hand out for the letter.

Noctis handed it to him again. “You think you know who it is?”

“I have an idea… I’m not getting a good feeling about this.”

“What’s going on?” Prompto asked. “Did you make a new friend while you were out?”

“I highly doubt this person is a friend, Prompto,” Ignis said.

“What kind of bait do you think they’re talking about?” Noctis asked. 

Ignis read over the letter again, this time slower, trying to get any additional information he could from it. “Something large, rough, and irresistible that will expire soon.”

“I don’t get it,” Noctis said.

“Me either,” Prompto chimed in. “Isn’t that every bait? Everything goes if you wait long enough.”

“Think about it,” Ignis said. “It can’t be a coincidence that Gladio hasn’t returned and then we get this letter.”

“You think this is talking about Gladio?” Noctis asked. “Are you sure Specs?”

“It’s a strong possibility. One that we can’t rule out.”

“Then who is A?” Prompto asked.

“I still haven’t figured that out.” Ignis frowned as he went over the letter again. “A place darker than you are used to. That can’t be anywhere around the Citadel. The sunlight penetrates the water just fine at this depth. This must be referring to a place deeper than we are now.”

“It says I’m smart enough to figure it out on my own. Am I supposed to go alone?” Noctis asked.

“I’m sure that’s what the sender wants, but we can’t allow that. This is obviously a trap. I’m surprised they thought this would work…”

“Maybe Noct was supposed to find the letter first,” Prompto said. “Then he would go on his own to figure out where he was supposed to go.”

“That’s a possibility.”

“That still doesn’t narrow down who sent the letter, or where we’re supposed to go,” Noctis said. “And if they are talking about Gladio, it doesn’t sound like we have much time. I don’t want to think about what ‘expire’ means…”

“Wait a minute,” Ignis said. 

“You think you figured it out Iggy?” Prompto asked. 

“I think I have a good idea. Noct, didn’t you tell me about a person you met while you were out with Gladio finding food? His name started with an A, correct?”

“Yeah.”

“Can you remember what his name was?”

“Uh…” Noctis thought back to the event. He vaguely remembered the man, though Noctis did remember he wasn’t a mermaid. “Ar… Ar something. Ardyn I think? I remember he had tentacles.”

“Who’s Ardyn?” Prompto asked.

“His brother was the founder king of Lucis. Ardyn has been trying to steal the throne ever since his brother became king.”

“Wait. Wouldn’t that make him… really old?” Prompto asked.

“Yes, it would. As I was saying, he was banished from the kingdom years ago. He’s been seen occasionally from time to time, but… No one is really sure what happened to him, or where he lives.”

“Great. If we don’t know where he is, how are we supposed to find him?” Noctis asked.

“He did leave us one valuable clue. He lives somewhere where it’s dark. He would need to live close enough to the Citadel for anyone to see him. To the east, there’s a drop off that goes down a few hundred feet. It’s deep enough that the light doesn’t penetrate that well. There’s a few caves down there as well. Then again the area isn’t charted well because it’s forbidden territory,” Ignis explained.

“You think it’s forbidden because Ardyn lives there?” Noctis asked.

“It’s very likely.”

“Then what are we waiting for? We gotta go save Gladio!” Prompto explained.

“And rush in with no plan? Absolutely not.”

“So what’s the plan Specs?”

Ignis thought for a moment. “Ardyn wants you to find him on your own from what the letter says. First we’ll locate the cave and send Noct in while Prompto and I wait at the entrance. Hopefully you’ll stay close enough for us to hear what’s going on. I’m not sure how well Ardyn has thought this through, but hopefully we’ll have the advantage of surprise on our side. Though he’ll have an edge because he can see better than we can down there. If we see him, then Prompto and I will move in to attack while Noct frees Gladio.”

“Sounds good to me,” Noctis said.

“You’re both clear on the plan?” Ignis asked.

“Crystal clear!” Prompto chimed.

“Yup.”

“Then let’s go. I’ll pick up a spear on the way just in case,” Ignis said.

Ignis quickly stopped into the armoury and met Noctis and Prompto at the entrance of the Citadel with a spear in hand. They swam together to the far east edge of the kingdom’s border and stopped at the edge of the drop off. They looked down into a dark void. 

“We’re really going down there?” Prompto asked. “What if we can’t see anything?”

“Our eyes should adjust as we go down. Stay alert and follow me.” Ignis looked around then started the descent into the dark.

Noctis and Prompto quickly followed. The light around them grew weaker and weaker until it was almost impossible to see. Their eyes slowly adjusted, but it was still difficult to see more than a few hundred feet in front of them.

“Start looking for openings in rocks or the ground,” Ignis said. “The cave should be far from here.”

They searched around. The ocean was much different here. So void of life. Plenty of fish lived by the Citadel. Down here there were barely any. It was much colder too. Prompto had to wrap his arms around him to keep himself from shivering.

“How long do you think we have before we run out of time?” Noctis asked.

“I can’t say for certain. He would have to allow us enough time to find the letter, figure out what it meant, and then find the location he referred to. I’d rather us finish this as quickly as possible.”

The ocean was still this deep. There were no currents here. What little plant life there was stood eerily still. However a few yards ahead a patch of kelp swayed gently in a small current.

“Hey, look over there,” Prompto said, pointing to the kelp. “You think that’s it?”

“It’s a start if anything. Stay here.” Ignis inched forward, scanning the area. “I think it’s safe. Go ahead Noct.” He moved to the side of the cave’s opening. “We’ll be right here.”

Noctis took the lead, pausing to pick up small, flat rock with a pointed edge, as Prompto moved to the other side of the cave’s opening. 

The opening wasn’t very big, only five feet across and three feet high. Noctis was able to swim through it with little difficulty. He hesitantly swam forward. There was barely enough light for him to make out the walls of the cave. It was a lot smaller than he was expecting, though the current was stronger here. There must have been another opening somewhere further ahead.

Towards the middle of the cave, there was a large pillar. Noctis swam closer, watching out for any movement as he did.

“You back already? You sure took your time.”

“Gladio?” Noctis swam faster to the pillar till he was face to face with the larger man. 

“Noct? What are you doing here?”

“I could ask the same about you. How’d you manage to get yourself tied up?”

“It’s not like I did it on purpose,” Gladio huffed. “Just get me out of here.”

“It looks like my bait worked.”

“Noct, get out of here. Don’t worry about me.”

“No way. I’m getting you out of here.” 

Noctis lifted the rock and used it to start cutting the ropes that bound Gladio to the pillar.

“I don’t think so.” 

A tentacle wrapped around Noctis’s wrist and pulled him away from Gladio.

“Hey! Get off of me!” Noctis tried to pry it from his wrist, but another tentacle shot out and grabbed his other wrist.

“You came a lot sooner than I expected,” Ardyn said. “Not that I mind.” He pulled Noctis closer to him.

“What do you want with me? Let go!”

“After I worked so hard to get you here in the first place?”

“Let him go!” Gladio struggled to swim out of the ropes. Noctis had started to cut them, but it wasn’t enough. 

“Hm… Looks like I have my hands full. I’ll have to deal with you later my dear prince.” Just before Ardyn was able to squirt a cloud of ink around the prince, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head. His vision blurred and his tentacles loosened around Noctis’s wrist.

“Nice one Prompto!” Noctis was able to free himself and swam back over to Gladio to cut away at the ropes.

Ardyn turned around to face Prompto. “You know, it’s rude to come into a man’s home uninvited.”

“Yeah, and it’s rude to kidnap someone’s friend.” Prompto held up the rock he had used earlier to prepare for another attack.

Ardyn was able to dodge it and he wrapped his tentacles around Prompto. He rushed to the wall of the cave and slammed Prompto into it.

“Ah!” Prompto cried out in pain as Ardyn rammed him into the wall again and again.

“Prompto!” Noctis turned around. “What happened?” From this distance he couldn’t see what was happening.

“Don’t worry-” Prompto was cut off by another slam against the wall. He didn’t know how much more of this he could take. He could feel Ardyn winding up again, then everything stopped.

Ardyn felt a piercing pain and looked down at his side to see a cloud of blood blooming around him. He saw the spear stuck deep between his ribs and looked up to see the owner.

Ignis ripped the spear out of Ardyn’s side. Before he could attack again, he and Prompto were enveloped in a black cloud of ink. Ignis grabbed Prompto by the arm and swam back away from the ink. “Are you alright Prompto?”

Prompto was coughing too much to respond, but nodded. 

Noctis was still sawing away at the ropes. The rock wasn’t as sharp as he originally thought, but at least it was working. Just not fast enough. A tentacle wrapped around his neck and squeezed. He dropped the rock as he tried to pry the tentacle from around his neck. 

“Noct!” With one last burst of strength, Gladio broke through the rest of the ropes and immediately rushed for Ardyn. He tackled the other man to the ground, taking Noctis with him. “Hey Iggy!”

Ignis was there in a flash, thrusting his spear deep into the tentacle strangling Noctis.

Ardyn let out a blood curdling scream as they were surrounded by another cloud of ink that left all of them coughing. The water rushed around them, then calmed down. As the ink disappeared, they found Ardyn nowhere in sight.

Noctis was on the ground trying to catch his breath. “You think… You think he’s gone?”

Ignis quickly checked around the cave. “I don’t see him anywhere. I couldn’t see where he went through all of that ink.”

“You alright Noct?” Gladio asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. What about you?”

“Fine. Just a little sore.”

“Wait! What about Prompto?”

The three looked over to find Prompto lying on the cave floor.

“Prompto!” Noctis rushed over to Prompto’s side. “Prompto wake up!”

“Huh…?” Prompto’s eyes fluttered open. “I’m awake?”

“Are you okay? What happened?”

“Don’t worry about me. Just a little banged up. I’ll be alright.”

“You’re a little bit more than that,” Ignis said. “Can you still swim?” 

Prompto tried to move his tail and winced. “I can’t move it.”

“You think it’s broken?” Noctis asked.

“It might be. I’ll be able to tend to it better once we’re back home.”

“I got it.” Gladio scooped Prompto up into his arms. “You look pretty bad Prompto.” This close up, Gladio could see the bruises that littered Prompto’s body.

Prompto rested his head against Gladio’s chest. “You know, I could get used to this.”

“I’m not carrying you once we’re back home.”

“Come on Gladio! I’m not gonna be able to swim for weeks!”

“Sounds like a you problem.”

“You two can bicker once we’re back home,” Ignis said. He took the lead and the other boys followed him.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ardyn hid in the kelp just outside of his cave. How could things have gone so badly? Sure, he could handle one on one fighting. He could even handle one on two. But him against four others? That was too much.

“How could I let myself get so carried away?” Noctis was focused on freeing Gladio, so Ardyn turned his attention to subduing Prompto. He was so focused on the one mermaid that he never noticed Ignis sneaking up on him. 

At least he had managed to stop the bleeding. He didn’t need sharks coming after him now. That’s the last thing he needed.

He watched as the four men left his cave, swimming back towards shallower waters. He waited to make sure they wouldn’t turn back before skulking back to his cave. He threw himself to the ground, pounding the soft sandy floor with his fist. How could he let such a perfect opportunity pass by? And now that he made such a bold move, Noctis would be more guarded than ever. He wouldn’t be able to get anywhere near the Citadel for weeks, or even months. Would an opportunity like this even happen again?

Yes. There had to be a next time. He couldn’t give up now. He had time. All the time in the world. He would find a way to lure Noctis back to him and end the line of Lucis once and for all.


End file.
